Just picked this intake up for the banger a few weeks ago. Anyone have more history/information on it ? I've seen a single tornado downdraft? Thanks in advance! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If it is an original Tornado intake and not a knock off, it was made by these folks. Google the name, also do a search here on the h.a.m.b.
1stGrumpy, you are partially correct with your answer. Tornado was the domain name for Lee Chapel, who operated Lee's Speed Shop for many years out of Oakland California. Lee Chapel manufactured heads, cams, manifolds and flywheels all under the Tornado name brand name. Lee Chapel made Tornado speed parts mainly for Ford flatheads but handled some 4Banger parts as well. Lee's Speed Shop was already well established and Tornado speed parts were already being sold before Jim Harrell came along. Jim Harrell started his own speed parts business also under the Tornado name. Remember now this is back in the 1930's when all this is going on. Today there would be a team of lawyers involved, a massive lawsuit started, copyright infringement and whatever other items that could be dreamed up to put in the lawsuit. This is the 1930's and rumor has it that Lee Chapel made a day trip over to see Jim Harrell and a fistfight apparently soon followed. I assume that Jim Harrell ended up on the losing end of things as Lee Chapel continued on selling Tornado speed parts and Jim Harrell changed his brand name to Harrell speed parts. Your 4Banger intake could be a reproduction if it is relatively new looking or if it is an original intake it could have been made by Lee's Speed Shop or by Jim Harrell.
Sounds good thanks for the information! Now to run this or the Evans Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Exactly, and amongst all that was the somewhat unknown OHV conversion heads made for the Ford V8. I believe Lee Chapel loaned or otherwise provided a set of those heads to his good California friend George Rokutani who had been relocated during WWII to Minnesota and George ran them in his IMCA big car here in the Midwest.
The Jalopy Journal
